Andrew Liszewski

Car aficionados will readily defend their favorite vehicles as rolling works of art, but art collector Walter Vanhaerent might be the only driver on earth who can definitively make that claim. Because his new Lexus IS 300h hybrid actually paints his portrait every time he hits the road.

The specially modified vehicle is half art project, half engineering experiment. Vanhaerent's Lexus features a large LCD display that shows his portrait being generated by custom software that paints it in the style of artist Sergio Abliac. The slower Vanhaerent drives, the more detailed the portrait will be, and the faster he drives, the more abstract the brush strokes become.

Color is also determined by Vanhaerent's driving style, with the portrait featuring cooler blue tones whenever he uses the vehicle's electric drivetrain, and warmer and more vibrant colors whenever the gasoline engine kicks in. Unfortunately the artistic feature won't be an option in upcoming Lexus vehicles—Vanhaerent's car is a one-off—but if one day laws are put in place to discourage drivers from painting self-portraits while on the road, this seems like the perfect alternative. [Lexus - Art Is Motion via FastCo Create]